Automatic virtual machine termination in a cloud

ABSTRACT

Managing a cloud computing environment including a plurality of resources adapted to host at least one virtual machine includes, in a virtual machine, determining a period of inactivity of the operating system for a user of the virtual machine and comparing, using a processor, the period with a defined threshold. From the virtual machine, a virtual machine termination request is sent to the cloud computing environment responsive to the period exceeding the defined threshold.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Great Britain Application Number1220205.7 filed on Nov. 9, 2012, which is fully incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND

Cloud-based computing is rapidly gaining considerable interest in bothconsumer and business markets, as it provides remote computer resourceson demand, such that the user no longer has to rely on investing inhardware to host the services, e.g., applications, required by the user.Such services can range from computer programs such as e-mail clients,word processors and the like to commercial services such as informationretrieval services, web-based trading services, e.g., e-shops and thelike.

A typical cloud-based computing architecture includes a cloud managementserver that manages access to the resources that form part of the cloud.A user typically contacts the cloud management server when requesting aparticular service, which triggers the cloud management to locate aresource in the cloud that can host the requested service, e.g., bybroadcasting a service request to all cloud servers. Upon locating acloud server available to host the required service, the available cloudserver will be assigned the task of hosting the requested service forthe user, upon which the cloud server typically will launch an instance,e.g., a virtual machine (VM) for running the requested service. Thecloud instances are usually managed in such a way that it allows usersto create, update and delete the instance, either manually or byautomatically by an application programming interface (API), such asRepresentational State Transfer (REST) or a language-specific API.

In such a cloud-based computing architecture, many VMs may be launchedover a period of time. This can cause problems if the VMs are notterminated upon completion of the service, as this prevents computerresources being freed up, thus unnecessarily reducing the availablecapacity of the cloud. This problem is particularly prevalent inarchitectures in which the user is expected to terminate the VM upondelivery of the requested service, as many users tend to forget thatthey are responsible for such terminations, which can lead to many idleVMs being present in the architecture.

In some cases, the problem is addressed by the cloud management systeminserting a self-management module into the VM, which can terminate theVM if a predefined condition is met, such as the occurrence of an errorin the VM, the end of a predefined lifespan or completion of a specifiedduration of the VM, upon reaching a user credit limit for the use of theVM or upon an inactivity in the resources consumed or utilized by theVM. However, measuring inactivity by resource consumption is not aparticularly accurate metric for determining VM inactivity, such that arisk exists that a VM may be erroneously terminated. This is of coursehighly unwanted, as it severely reduces the confidence the user has inthe cloud computing architecture.

SUMMARY

A method of managing a cloud computing environment including a pluralityof resources adapted to host at least one virtual machine. The methodincludes, in a virtual machine, determining a period of inactivity ofthe operating system for a user of the virtual machine and comparing,using a processor, the period with a defined threshold. The methodfurther includes, from the virtual machine, sending a virtual machinetermination request to the cloud computing environment responsive to theperiod exceeding the defined threshold.

A system for managing a cloud computing environment including aplurality of resources adapted to host at least one virtual machine. Thesystem includes a processor programmed to initiate executableoperations. The executable operations include, in a virtual machine,determining a period of inactivity of the operating system for a user ofthe virtual machine and comparing the period with a defined threshold.The executable operations further include, from the virtual machine,sending a virtual machine termination request to the cloud computingenvironment responsive to the period exceeding the defined threshold.

A computer program product for managing a cloud computing environmentincluding a plurality of resources adapted to host at least one virtualmachine. The computer program product includes a computer readablestorage medium having program code stored thereon. The program code isexecutable by a processor to perform a method. The method includes, in avirtual machine, determining a period of inactivity of the operatingsystem for a user of the virtual machine using the processor andcomparing, using the processor, the period with a defined threshold. Themethod further includes, from the virtual machine, sending a virtualmachine termination request to the cloud computing environmentresponsive to the period exceeding the defined threshold using theprocessor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, byway of example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 schematically depicts a cloud computing environment according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 depicts a flow chart of a cloud computing management methodaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 depicts a flow chart of a cloud computing management methodaccording to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 depicts a flow chart of a cloud computing management methodaccording to yet another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 schematically depicts a computer system according to anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a method ofmanaging a cloud computing environment including a plurality of serversadapted to host at least one virtual machine.

One or more embodiments of the present invention further relate to acomputer program product including a computer-readable storage mediumhaving computer-readable program code, when executed on a computerincluding at least one processor, causing the at least one processor toimplement the method.

One or more embodiments of the present invention yet further relate to acomputer system including at least one processor adapted to execute thecomputer-readable program code of such a computer program product.

One or more embodiments of the present invention still yet furtherrelate to a cloud computing environment including such a computersystem.

One or more embodiments of the present invention seek to provide animproved method of virtual machine (VM) management in a cloud computingarchitecture.

One or more embodiments of the present invention further seek to providea computer program product including computer program code defining suchan improved VM.

One or more embodiments of the present invention yet further seek toprovide a computer system adapted to execute the computer programproduct.

One or more embodiments of the present invention yet further seek toprovide a cloud computing environment including such a computer system.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided amethod of managing a cloud computing environment including a pluralityof resources adapted to host at least one virtual machine, the methodincluding in a VM, determining the period of inactivity of the operatingsystem for a user of the virtual machine; comparing the period with adefined threshold; and from the VM, sending a VM termination request tothe cloud computing environment responsive to the period exceeding thedefined threshold.

One or more embodiments of the present invention are based on theinsight that rather than evaluation of resource use as is known in theart, a more accurate assessment of whether a VM may be terminated isobtained by evaluating the activity of the VM at the operating systemlevel. An idle operating system is a clear indication of the user of theVM having finished using the VM, especially if the VM has not been usedfor at least a defined period of time.

In an embodiment, the defined threshold may be a user-defined threshold.This has the further advantage that the user can indicate after whatperiod of non-use of the VM the VM may be terminated, thus furtherreducing the risk of inappropriate termination of the VM. Alternatively,the threshold may be defined by a system operator such that the userdoes not have to specify this threshold.

In an embodiment, the method further includes, following the comparison,requesting a list of active processes of the user from the cloudcomputing environment; identifying the network address assigned to theVM; and identifying the active process corresponding to the VM in thelist using the identified network address; and wherein sending therequest includes requesting the termination of the identified activeprocess. This is an efficient manner for terminating the VM, whichensures that the termination of the VM is recognized at the managementlevel of the cloud computing environment. The requesting mayadvantageously be performed through an API of the cloud computingenvironment.

The requesting a list of active processes of the user may furtherinclude embedding user credentials in the request. This is for instancenecessary when the cloud computing environment can only release the listof active processes of the user upon receiving the correctauthentication details for a user, e.g., user name and password.

In an embodiment, the cloud computing environment includes a managementserver for managing the cloud computing environment, and wherein therequesting a list of active processes of the user includes requestingthe list from the management server.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the determining the period ofinactivity of the operating system for a user of the virtual machineincludes determining the period of inactivity of the operating systemfor each user of the virtual machine; and the sending a virtual machinetermination request to the cloud computing environment responsive to theperiod of inactivity exceeding a defined threshold includes sending therequest if the period of inactivity exceeds the defined threshold foreach user. This ensures that a VM is only terminated if it can beguaranteed that all its users have not used the VM for the definedamount of time.

In case each user of the virtual machine has defined an individualthreshold, the comparing the period of inactivity with a definedthreshold may include, for each user, comparing the period of inactivitywith the individual threshold of the user. This further improves theflexibility of the cloud computing environment, as single users can settheir own preferences of use for a VM.

In response to the termination request, the method advantageouslyfurther includes terminating the virtual machine.

In an embodiment, the termination may be preceded by taking a snapshotof the virtual machine and storing the snapshot on the cloud computingenvironment. This provides useful diagnostic data that allows theevaluation of the conditions under which the VM was terminated, andallows the restoration of the VM to its state prior to termination if sorequired.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a computer program product including a computer-readablestorage medium having computer-readable program code, when executed on acomputer including at least one processor, causing the at least oneprocessor to implement the method according to one or more embodimentsof the present invention.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a computer system including at least one processor and thecomputer program product according to one or more embodiments of thepresent invention, wherein the at least one processor is adapted toexecute the computer-readable program code. Such a computer system iscapable of self-termination of VMs hosted thereon, which thus improvesthe efficiency of the computer system.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a cloud computing environment including at least one computersystem according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.Such a cloud computing environment benefits from the self-terminatingfunctionality of the one or more VMs hosted by the one or more computersystems, such that a more resource-efficient cloud computing environmentis provided.

It should be understood that the Figures are merely schematic and arenot drawn to scale. It should also be understood that the same referencenumerals are used throughout the Figures to indicate the same or similarparts.

In the context of the present application, where embodiments of thepresent invention constitute a method, it should be understood that sucha method is a process for execution by a computer, i.e., is acomputer-implementable method. The various steps of the method thereforereflect various parts of a computer program, e.g., various parts of oneor more algorithms.

The various embodiments of the method of the present invention may bestored on a computer program product including a computer-readablestorage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may be any mediumthat can be accessed by a computer for the retrieval of digital datafrom the medium. Non-limiting examples of a computer-readable storagemedium include a CD, DVD, flash memory card, a USB memory stick, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a computer harddisk, a storage area network, a network server, an Internet server andso on.

FIG. 1 schematically depicts a cloud computing environment according toan embodiment of the present invention. The environment includes one ormore users 10, which can send service requests to the cloud architecture100 over a network 110, e.g., the Internet, a wired or wireless localarea network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), a mobile communicationsnetwork such as a 2G, 3G or 4G network and so on.

The cloud architecture typically includes a cloud management server 120and a number of resources 140, e.g., servers, which are connected to themanagement server 120 via one or more networks 130, e.g., the Internet,a wired or wireless LAN or WAN, a mobile communications network such asa 2G, 3G or 4G network and combinations thereof. The cloud managementserver 120 is responsible for handling service requests from the one ormore users 10 and for assigning the request to a resource in the cloudarchitecture 120. Upon such a service request, the management server 120will allocate the service request to one of the resources 140, forinstance by broadcasting an availability request to the resources 140and assigning the service request to a resource 140 signaling suchavailability. As such request handling is well-known per se, it will notbe discussed in further detail for the sake of brevity. It is noted forthe avoidance of doubt that any suitable service request handlingprotocol may be used in the cloud computing environment 100.

Upon the assignment of a request for providing a service requested by auser 10, a resource 140 may launch a new instance of the requestedservice or share a previously launched instance between multiple users.In the context of the present invention, an instance of such a servicewill be referred to as a virtual machine (VM) 142, as the user 10 willhave no awareness of the underlying resource 140, but will only interactwith the instance of the service that is hosted by the resource 140. Aswill be well-known to the skilled person, each resource 140 in the cloudcomputing environment 100 may be able to host different virtual machines142 at the same time, which may offer different applications or servicesto one or more users 10 of the cloud computing environment 100.

As previously explained, upon completion of the requested service, theuser 10 may terminate a VM 142, e.g., manually or through an API.However, in practice, many users forget to terminate the VM 142. Thiscan cause capacity problems for the cloud computing environment 100because it includes finite resources 140, such that idle VMs 142 reducethe availability of resources to new users 10.

In accordance with several embodiments of the present invention, thisproblem is addressed by including monitoring functionality in a VM 142that can request the termination of the VM 142 from the cloud computingenvironment 100 without requiring any additional technology to existingcloud computing environments 100. Such monitoring functionality may beprovided as an automatic task scheduler that periodically checks theidle state of the operating system of the VM 142, or as a permanentlyrunning task that regularly invokes such a check.

An embodiment of such a VM termination method is shown in the flowchartof FIG. 2. In a first step 210, the cloud computing environment 100receives a user request for the use of a specified resource, e.g., aservice as previously explained. The user request may optionally includea user-defined parameter that indicates when the resource may beterminated. More specifically, the parameter may define a minimum idletime period of the operating system of the VM 142 providing the service,which minimum idle time period is considered a reliable indication bythe user that the user is no longer using the service. Alternatively,such a parameter may be omitted, in which case a system-definedparameter may be used instead as will be explained in more detail later.

Next, the cloud computing environment 100, e.g., the cloud managementserver 120, will allocate the user request to an available resource 140in step 220. This may be done in any suitable manner; for instance, thecloud management server 120 may request availability of the service fromthe resources 140, with one or more resources 140 responding to therequest by acknowledging such availability. The cloud management server120 may select one of the resources 140 to host the requested serviceand notify the selected resource 140 accordingly. In an embodiment, thethus notified resource 140 will launch a VM 142 to provide the requestedservice in step 230. Alternatively, the notified resource 140 alreadyhas a VM 142 running that has spare capacity for handling the requestedservice, in which case step 230 may be omitted.

Upon identifying the resource 140 hosting the requested service, thecloud management server 120 may assign a network address, e.g., an IPaddress, to the VM 142 hosting service and communicate the networkaddress to the user 10 and the resource 140 hosting the VM 142 such thatthe user 10 can directly access the requested service. At the same time,the cloud management server 120 may add the service requested by theuser 10 to the list of active processes of the user 10 in the cloudcomputing environment 100.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the operatingsystem of the thus selected VM 142 includes an algorithm for monitoringthe active use of the VM 142 by the user 10. The algorithm may form partof an automatic task scheduler or a permanently running task formonitoring the idle time of the operating system. For example, thealgorithm may form part of a screen saver application or any otherapplication that is activated after a period of idle time of theoperating system.

In operation, the algorithm evaluates the idle time of the operatingsystem of the VM 142 in step 240, and checks in step 250 if the idletime exceeds a defined threshold. This threshold may be defined by theuser 10 in the form of an operating system time-out parameter aspreviously explained, as by a system operator based on his or herknowledge of the typical user behavior when using the cloud computingenvironment 100 or the service provided by the VM 142. In an embodiment,the cloud computing environment 100 may monitor such typical userbehavior for individual users and define a user-specific operatingsystem time-out threshold to be used in comparison step 250.

In an embodiment, the algorithm will periodically monitor user activityin step 240 and as long as some activity is detected, the algorithm willterminate until the next scheduled period. If no activity is detected,the algorithm will determine the duration of the inactivity of theoperation system in step 250. If the period of inactivity does notexceed the defined threshold, the algorithm will again terminate andrevert back to step 240 for execution during the next scheduledmonitoring period.

However, if it is determined in step 250 that the operating system hasbeen idle for a period exceeding the idle time threshold, the methodwill proceed to step 260 in which the cloud computing environment 100,e.g., the cloud management server 120, is requested to terminate the VM142, after which the cloud computing environment 100, e.g., the cloudmanagement server 120 terminates the VM 142 in step 270, e.g., byinforming the resource 140 that the VM 142 is no longer required, suchthat the resource 140 can delete the VM 142 from its resources. At thesame time, the cloud management server 120 may remove the active processassociated with the VM 142 from the list of active processes associatedwith the user 10.

In an embodiment, the cloud computing environment 100, e.g., the cloudmanagement server 120 or the resource 140 hosting the VM 142 may take asnapshot of the VM 142 prior to its termination. Such a snapshottypically provides an image of the VM 142, which may be stored for lateruse, e.g., to restore the current state of the VM 142, for instance incase a user 10 wants to resume the terminated service.

FIG. 3 depicts a flow chart of an embodiment of the method of thepresent invention in which the termination process of a VM 142 isdiscussed in more detail. Steps 210, 220, 240 and 250 as well asoptional step 230 are identical to the steps shown in FIG. 2 and thedetailed description thereof such that these steps will not be explainedagain for the sake of brevity. In this embodiment, the situation isaddressed that a VM 142 may not be aware of the name of the processassigned by the cloud management server 120 to the service provided bythe VM 142. Although this may be resolved by the VM 142 providing thecloud management server 120 with its assigned network address such thatthe cloud management server 120 can identify the process to beterminated, this has the drawback that the cloud management server 120would have to include functionality that identifies an active processbased on the provided network address.

As many cloud computing environments 100 facilitate the user 10 tomanually or automatically terminate such processes, as previouslyexplained, it is therefore preferable to use the existing functionalityof the cloud computing environment 100, e.g., of the cloud managementserver 120, to terminate a VM 142 in the cloud computing environment100. This may for instance be realized as shown in FIG. 3.

After the VM 142 has determined in step 250 that the period ofinactivity of its operating system is such that it warrants terminatingthe VM 142, the VM 142 contacts the cloud computing environment 100,e.g., the cloud management server 120, to request the list of activeprocesses of the user 10 in step 310. In an embodiment, this requestincludes the user credentials of the user 10, e.g., the user name andpassword of the user 10, in case the cloud computing environment 100,e.g., the cloud management server 120, is only authorized to release therequested list upon provision of the relevant user credentials. It isnoted that such user credentials are typically readily available to theVM 142, as the user credentials may have been provided to the VM 142 togain access to the requested service, e.g., when the VM 142 behaves asan isolated machine that is unaware of it being managed by the cloudmanagement server 120. At the same time, the VM 142 may request thenetwork address assigned to the service provided to the user 10 from itsoperating system or the resource 140 hosting the VM 142 in step 320.

Upon receiving the list of active processes from the cloud computingenvironment 100, e.g., the cloud management server 120, the VM 142identifies in step 330 the active process associated with the networkaddress retrieved in step 320. In other words, in step 330 the VM 142recognizes which active process it is hosting based on the match betweenthe network address in the received list and the network addressretrieved in step 320.

Next, the VM 142 requests the termination of the identified activeprocess in step 260 as previously explained. It is noted that thisrequest may also include the relevant user credentials of the user 10 incase the cloud computing environment 100, e.g., the cloud managementserver 120, is only authorized to terminate the active process uponprovision of such credentials. The cloud computing environment 100,e.g., the cloud management server 120, subsequently terminates thatactive process in step 270 and informs the resource 140 hosting the VM142 that the VM 142 may be terminated.

At this point, it is noted that the procedures as disclosed in FIG. 2and FIG. 3 and described in detail above may be amended withoutdeparting from the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart of yet another embodiment of a method of thepresent invention, in which a VM 142 may be providing a service to aplurality of users 10. In such a scenario, the VM 142 should only beterminated if all users 10 have stopped using the VM 142. The VM 142 maylearn that one of the users 10 has stopped using the service is the user10 has informed the cloud computing environment 100, e.g., the cloudmanagement server 120, that he or she no longer intends to use therequested service. In such a case, the cloud computing environment 100,e.g., the cloud management server 120, will inform the VM 142 that theuser is to be removed from the list of users using the service. However,in a scenario where the VM 142 includes a plurality of registered users10, the VM 142 must ensure that all users have become inactive usersbefore a termination request can be sent to the cloud computingenvironment 100, e.g., the cloud management server 120.

To this end, the method as shown in FIG. 2 may be extended with anadditional checking step 410, in which it is checked if the operatingsystem idle time check in step 250 has been performed for all users. Ifthis is not the case, the method reverts back to step 250 to check theoperating system idle time for a next user, and these steps are repeateduntil the (in)activity of all users has been checked in this manner. Themethod only proceeds to step 260 to request termination of the VM 142 ifit has been determined that for all users the idle time of the operatingsystem exceeds the operating system idle time threshold.

In an embodiment, the same threshold is applied in step 250 to all users10 registered to use the VM 142. This may for instance be a thresholddefined by a system operator as previously explained. In an alternativeembodiment, a user-specific threshold is applied to each individualuser. For users 10 who have not provided such a threshold, the systemthreshold may be used instead.

FIG. 5 schematically depicts an example embodiment of a computer system500 adapted to execute the one or more embodiments of the methods of thepresent invention. The computer system 500 includes one or moreprocessors 510 that are adapted to execute program code stored in theone or more data storage devices 520 such as a memory, a hard diskdrive, a distributed storage device such as a NAS or a SAN and so on.The program code, when executed on the one or more processors 510,causes the computer system 500 to implement the steps of one or more ofthe embodiments of the methods of the present invention as shown inFIGS. 1-4 and/or described in the detailed description of FIG. 1-4. Forinstance, one or more processors 510 may each be adapted to host one ormore virtual machines 142 including the aforementioned self-terminatingfunctionality, the images of which may be stored on the one or more datastorage devices 520.

The computer system 500 further includes a network interface 530 forcommunicating with the cloud computing environment 100 and the user 10,e.g., via the one or more networks 130. It is noted for the avoidance ofdoubt that the one or more networks 130 do not form part of the computersystem 500. Such a network interface may take any suitable shape, e.g.,one or more network cards.

The computer system 500 may optionally further include an input device540, e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a microphone for voicerecognition control, a scroll wheel, a touch screen and so on, as wellas an output device 550, e.g., a display device, loudspeakers and so on.

The computer system 500 may be used in the cloud computing environment100 of FIG. 1 as one of the resources 140 therein.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, aRAM, a ROM, an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flashmemory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory(CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or anysuitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document,a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that cancontain, or store a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent invention may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a LAN or a WAN, or the connectionmay be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internetusing an Internet Service Provider).

Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which includes one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed herein for purposes of illustration, many modifications andchanges will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of managing a cloud computingenvironment adapted to host a virtual machine, comprising: determining,in the virtual machine, a period of inactivity of an operating systemfor a user of the virtual machine; requesting, from the cloud computingenvironment and responsive to the period exceeding a defined threshold,a list of active processes of the user; identifying, by the virtualmachine and within the list, an active process being hosted by thevirtual machine; and sending, from the virtual machine and to a cloudmanagement server, a virtual machine terminal request that includes theidentified active process, wherein the virtual machine is terminatedupon the request being received, and the requesting the list of activeprocesses includes embedding credentials of the user in a request. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the defined threshold is user-defined. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein the defined threshold is defined by asystem operator.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the active process isidentified by comparing a network address assigned to the virtualmachine to a network address associated to the active process.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the list is requested from the cloudmanagement server.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual machineis terminated by the cloud management server upon the cloud managementserver receiving the virtual machine terminal request.
 7. A computerhardware system configured to manage a cloud computing environmentadapted to host a virtual machine, comprising a hardware processorconfigured to initiate the following executable operations: determining,in the virtual machine, a period of inactivity of an operating systemfor a user of the virtual machine; requesting, from the cloud computingenvironment and responsive to the period exceeding a defined threshold,a list of active processes of the user; identifying, by the virtualmachine and within the list, an active process being hosted by thevirtual machine; and sending, from the virtual machine and to a cloudmanagement server, a virtual machine terminal request that includes theidentified active process, wherein the virtual machine is terminatedupon the request being received, and the requesting the list of activeprocesses includes embedding credentials of the user in a request. 8.The system of claim 7, wherein the defined threshold is user-defined. 9.The system of claim 7, wherein the defined threshold is defined by asystem operator.
 10. The system of claim 7, wherein the active processis identified by comparing a network address assigned to the virtualmachine to a network address associated to the active process.
 11. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein the list is requested from the cloudmanagement server.
 12. The system of claim 7, wherein the virtualmachine is terminated by the cloud management server upon the cloudmanagement server receiving the virtual machine terminal request.
 13. Acomputer program product, comprising: a hardware storage device havingprogram code stored thereon for managing a cloud computing environmentadapted to host a virtual machine, the program code, which when executedby a computer hardware system, causes the computer hardware system toperform: determining, in the virtual machine, a period of inactivity ofan operating system for a user of the virtual machine; requesting, fromthe cloud computing environment and responsive to the period exceeding adefined threshold, a list of active processes of the user; identifying,by the virtual machine and within the list, an active process beinghosted by the virtual machine; and sending, from the virtual machine andto a cloud management server, a virtual machine terminal request thatincludes the identified active process, wherein the virtual machine isterminated upon the request being received, and the requesting the listof active processes includes embedding credentials of the user in arequest.
 14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein thedefined threshold is user-defined.
 15. The computer program product ofclaim 13, wherein the defined threshold is defined by a system operator.16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the active processis identified by comparing a network address assigned to the virtualmachine to a network address associated to the active process.
 17. Thecomputer program product of claim 13, wherein the list is requested fromthe cloud management server.